


An Escaped Slave Receives a Letter

by Farashe



Series: Letters of Loss [2]
Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age II, Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-30
Updated: 2015-03-30
Packaged: 2018-03-20 10:06:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 524
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3646224
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Farashe/pseuds/Farashe
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Fenris is tracking a group of slavers when an Inquisition raven finds him with a message.</p>
            </blockquote>





	An Escaped Slave Receives a Letter

**Author's Note:**

> This is a companion piece to [The Hero of Ferelden Receives a Letter](http://archiveofourown.org/works/3084611). I eventually did a playthrough where I left Hawke behind in the Fade (it was so hard! I hate doing that to Varric) so I thought I should write about Fenris' heartbreak. Enjoy!

Fenris watched the messenger raven’s approach with mingled anticipation and wariness. If the slaver band he was tracking was paying attention, the bird could alert them to his presence. Hopefully, they weren’t that observant.

As the raven drew near, Fenris held out his arm. He could see now the ribbon embroidered with the Inquisition’s heraldry on it. Fenris smiled slightly. He’d hoped Hawke would send him a message soon. He relieved the raven of its burden, and it took off. Fenris frowned. He had hoped the bird might wait for him to give it a reply. But then, Fenris was not a fast writer so he likely wouldn’t have been able to send a response right away anyway. And what was he supposed to to with a bird during that time?

He sat at the base of a tree, his back against the trunk and opened the letter.

_Fenris,_

This wasn’t right. Fenris scowled at the page. That wasn’t Hawke’s writing. She had taught him to read and write; he knew her handwriting better than he knew his own. And this was not it.

It was still familiar though he couldn’t place it immediately.

_My news isn’t good, Broody._

Varric. Only Varric called him that. Fenris was suddenly filled with dread.

_Hawke and Warden Alistair helped the Inquisitor find out that the Grey Wardens were raising a demon army. They were manipulated by Corypheus into thinking it was a good idea. We stopped them, but something happened. There was a battle at Adamant Fortress, and we--the Inquisitor, Hawke, Alistair, myself, a couple others--fell into the Fade. Physically. We had to fight past a Nightmare demon to get back out._

_We escaped, except…_

_Hawke stayed behind. She faced the Nightmare demon to cover our escape._

_She’s gone, Fenris._

_I’m sorry. The Inquisitor offered to let Hawke’s family and friends know of her heroic sacrifice, but I had to be the one. I got her into this. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I know that’s not enough. I know it will never be enough. I loved her, too._

_Varric Tethras_

Fenris stared at that piece of paper. Then he read it again. He had to have missed something, read the words wrong, something.

 _“Promise me you won’t die. I can’t bear the thought of living without you.”_ Fenris remembered telling Hawke that in the Gallows with such blinding clarity. And now he found that the reality was even worse than anything he could imagine. This agony cut far deeper than any he had ever endured at Danarius’ hands.

He clenched the letter in his fist and let out a primal howl of anguish and grief. A small corner of his mind knew that the nearby camp of slavers would have heard. Let them. Let them hear. Let them come. I will tear out their hearts. It was all he had left now, that hate. Love was gone.

He stood up, his lyrium tattoos glowing, burning. He would be the inferno. And like the flames, when his rage was spent, he would burn himself out.

The agony of life was not worth enduring any longer.


End file.
